Getting Colder
by AlbinoLungs
Summary: Frostbite; A series of one-shots on the evolution of Cameron's and Artemis' relationship. As they grew older, she became good, and he became worse. Ice melts, water freezes. Things change, and so did they. But things changed again for them as they continued to grow. How? Read, and find out!
1. Who They Were

**I love the idea of Frostbite, and squealed with joy when it appeared in the comics that relate to the show. ****Then I was devastated when it was never brought back up.**

**So, now I'm writing a story about it. Yup.**

**I hope you guys like it :).**

* * *

Artemis steps through the woods cautiously. Her bow and arrow are prepped and at the ready. She holds her weapon of choice so that the arrow points to the ground and the bow is as close to her stomach as possible. One arm is extended as it grips the bow, the other arm is bent and supports the arrow against the bow while it draws back the string.

All of Artemis' senses are on alert. Her eyes are always darting around to different parts of the woods, looking up, down, left, right, etc. Her ears are perked, listening for any sound other than the ones she or the forest makes. She breathes through her nose, waiting to possibly pick up on an stranger sent to the woods. Occasionally, she breaths in through her mouth to allow for any odd taste in the air to be noticed. The rest of her skin waits in anticipation for something to touch it.

The six year-old girl is shaking with nerves all over, but she won't show it. She tries to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she keeps her sense alert. Her skin has broken out into goose-bumps, and her hair stands on end, but that won't distract the young warrior. Her shoulders are rolled back and she manages to keep her lip from quivering.

However, she _is_ deathly afraid. You would be too if you knew you were being hunted.

At four o'clock that day, her dad pulled her out of bed and dumped her in the middle of the forest. He threw her a camouflage coat, matching pair of pants, a dark brown backpack (full of food and other survival supplies), and thick hiking black boots. When she put the stuff over her blue cotton pajamas, he tossed a bow and a quiver of arrows in her direction.

His instructions: "Walk in the woods. But don't let them find you,"

Then, he drove off.

The time is now six o'clock in the evening.

Artemis hasn't stopped moving since her father dropped her off that morning. She hasn't even touched the food her gave her.

Who was after her? She didn't know. By now, she figured it was a training exercise, but she doesn't know how long it will last or what the outcome will be.

"...hhhhelp"

Artemis quickly lifts her bow and prepares to fire it in the direction of the sound. Her heart begins racing - she can feel the small but mighty muscle pounding against her chest in an effort to escape the clutches of her ribcage and skin and take off running - much as she wishes she could do.

When she turns, she sees that she is pointing her arrow to a tree. It's one of the older trees in the forest as seen by it's colossal height and broad width. It's sturdy at the base and grows a majority of it's branches from the top. Most trees are like this, but the age plays obviously senior to the other trees.

She almost forgets the sound as she marvels at the tree. She is snapped backed to reality when she hears the words of her father: "Distraction results in extermination".

She figures that the sound was just in her head. She _has_ been out there all day. But, again, she hears the voice of her father: "At the first sign of trouble, don't ever let your guard down,"

Taking in a sharp breath, Artemis inches towards the tree. She steps lightly as to not be heard by what might have caused the sound. She keeps shifting her eyes for any attackers that might be somewhere near by, waiting to spring out at their unsuspecting victim.

"...hhhhelp!"

The voice is weak. It barely echoes in the woods. It's so faint that only an animal would be able to pick it up. An animal, or an assassin in training.

Artemis begins to circle to the other side of the tree - the one out of view. Her heart beat only gets faster as she anticipates what might be on the other side. The voice sounds young and unthreatening, but, as her dad has told her: "Except the unexpected,"

Taking another deep breath, she rounds to the other side of the tree.

On the other side is quite a sight.

A young boy sits amongst the roots of the tree that protrude from the harsh ground. His wrist are tied behind his back, and his ankles are also bond and sticking out in-front of him. His waist is tied to the whole base of the tree to prevent him from moving.

Artemis lowers her bow. She recognizes the boy. "C-Cameron?" she asks.

The eight year-old looks up at her. His face is stained with dried tears and drenched in fear. The bags underneath his eyes practically sink onto his cheeks, showing his extreme tiredness. His pants are covered in died urine - Artemis wonders how long he's been out here (or how scared he must have been) for a eight year-old to willingly urinate in his cloths.

"Artemis?" he asks. New tears begin to form in his eyes. He's ecstatic to see her.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, placing her bow back into her quiver. "What's going on?" she adds as she slings her bow over her back.

"I-I don't know," whimpers Cameron. "My dad took my out of bed this morning and told me to walk around in the forest. He said to _ensure_ that _they_ don't find me,"

Artemis nods "My dad told me the same thing." She notes that Cameron is also dressed in the same camo gear that she was given. His backpack, is just out of his reach. The food has been removed from it, and the survival gear is strewn about forest floor. "I'm guessing _they_ you?" asks Artemis nervously. She begins to reach for her arrow again, worrying that the attackers might come back at any moment.

Cameron nods.

"Who are they?" she asks. Her eyes are now bouncing around her sockets as she scans around the woods.

"I don't know. They were wearing black suites and masks," explains Cameron. The fear returns to his eyes as he recalls the memory of his attack.

Artemis' fear grows. An unidentified attack is probably the most terrifying thing to a young girl. She turns her attention back to Cameron. "What did they do to you?" she kneels down to his eye level and looks for any other damages. Whatever other damage is done to him isn't visible, but she looks for signs of injuries to prepare herself for them if she is caught.

Cameron looks at his feet. "They just bound me and took my stuff," he begins to cry again.

"How long have you tied here?"

Cameron looks to the sky. "About noon," he guesses.

Artemis nods again. No wonder he pissed himself. she probably would have if she had been out here for so long.

Artemis when begins to wonder; "Why didn't you use your powers?" she asks.

Cameron's ability to create and manipulate ice could have easily protected him from the attackers. Artemis has always been jealous of his 'easy out' (as she likes to call it). So, what she lacks in powers, she makes up for in everything else; fighting, tracking, etc. She superior to him in that regard.

"Dad wouldn't let me,"

Of course. She remembers that Cameron's dad prefers that he trains without his powers. "Makes him tougher," he replies when asked.

Suddenly, a bird takes off into flight from the tree. The sudden ruffle of feathers and loud squawking scares the children as branches clang together and leaves are broken off. Artemis quickly jumps up and preps her bow and arrow.

"I have to go," she mutters. She is about to take off in a sprint when-

"NO!"

Artemis stops and turns to see Cameron squirming violently in his seated position. "Don't leave me here. Please, help me,"

She bites her lips as she looks around the woods. She can't see anything right away, but her father has taught her better. "Every man for himself,"

For all Artemis knows, he could be tricking her. Maybe _he_ is the person she should be avoiding. What if the attackers show up and nab her? What if he runs and leaves her all alone as he was?

"Cam, I don't know-"

"Artemis, please," he begs.

She looks into his eyes as he pleas. A mixture of terror, fear and plea are seen in his dark blue irises. He looks like he's been through hell and spit out the other end - just horrible.

And something about the way he looks at her drives her to drop her bow and cut him loose with a knife that she finds on the ground.

When she cuts the ropes, she sees about three inches of red skin around his joints were the rope rubbed and caused a deep burn. The skin is so delicate know that it's one swab away from opening and bleeding. She shakes her head, getting herself back into the run, and tosses the knife to the side where she found it. Who knows? It could be laced with a tracker. As daddy says: "Sharing is slaughter," and that can apply to a lot.

"C'mon!" she commands.

Cameron is weak, and stumbles as he tries to stand. He mutters a quick 'Thanks,', but she doesn't hear it. She's too busy focusing on what might be coming.

Suddenly, she is smacked right across the face.

The blow his so strong that she blacks out of a moment and falls to the ground. The forest floor is rock hard - the few leaves and other forms of plant life barley break her fall.

"Artemis!" she hears Cameron call. She hears him try to say something else, but it results in a serious of muffled noises.

She lifts herself from the ground by pushing against it with her tiny hands and turns to face her attack.

Two much taller figures stand towering over her. Both are dressed all in black with black masks. One has Cameron in a choke hold, and the other is slowly descending down towards Artemis.

She screams at the sight.

"That's enough!"

The four ground dwellers all look up to the canopy of the trees. Above them, they see three grown men.

Cameron's father, their younger friend Matson, and, worst of all, Artemis' father.

She quickly picks up on it right away. This was, in fact, a training exercise - the men have been watching and analyzing the development of the exercise the whole time. Artemis blushes with embarrassment as she reflects on all the things she did wrong, knowing the will reflect baddy in her fathers already judgmental eyes.

The older men descend effortlessly from the treetops that are about three stories above the ground. They all look displeased, especially her father.

The older blonde man makes a b-line for his daughter. While he is stomping in her direction, you can't hear his footsteps. A prefect pair of assassins feet - quiet, so you don't hear them coming.

He looks down upon Artemis with a huge scowl. "And what, young lady, do you have to say for yourself?"

Artemis lets her eyes fall to the forest floor. She grabs her developing bicep and rubs it in shame. "I'm sorry-"

"I don't want to hear meaningless apologies!" he shouts loud enough for the world beyond the forest to hear. "Tell me what you did wrong!"

"I-," she looks over at Cameron. His can't speak (as he has not yet been spoken to) and is under the burning glare of his father. Still, he makes a set of apologetic eyes at Artemis, knowing that is was him who caused her failure. "I helped Cameron-"

"You '_helped'_ Cameron," repeats her father. He elongates 'helped' to stress how important that word is. It is important, as it is the flaw of the sentence. "What have I always told you?"

She begins to sniffle. She remembered what he had said while she was saving Cameron. Why didn't she just listen to her father instead of giving into her heart? "Every man for himself," she whimpers.

"Every man-... don't cry!" he yells as he gently smacks her on the face. It doesn't hurt too much, just enough to make an impact. The bystanders don't react, this is a regular occurrence for them. They also do it themselves to their respective youngster. "Get you stuff. We're going home," he growls.

When he is finished scolding his daughter, the blonde man looks over to the two people dressed in black suites and masks. "Jade, Eric; well done,"

Artemis' eyes grow as she realizes who her attackers were. She snaps her head around to confirmed her suspicions.

Removing their masks is Eric and Artemis' ten year-old sister, Jade.

Jade is the one who smacked her. Her own sister.

Artemis looks into her sisters eyes with disbelief and hurt. Her dark eyes ask 'How could you?'

Jade does nothing but wink.

While Artemis is hurt by her own sisters will to harm her, she isn't that surprised. Her father has taught them to be ruthless - even to their own family.

Matson slaps his good hand around Eric and smiles at him and snickers "Nice job kid. I'll drive you home." The two then begin to depart from the forest, leaving the families behind.

Cameron's father gives his own son a smack on the back of his head "Idiot - of course _you_ would get captured first," Cameron doesn't have the courage to look his dad in the eye. Instead, he rubs the back of his head where is father had smacked him. "Let's go," he says through his teeth. He then looks up at Artemis' dad "I'll bring this little disappointment over tonight before we go on our assignment. Leave the kids to reflect on their failures?"

Artemis' dad nods and scowls at his youngest daughter before marching off with his eldest. As Artemis follows, she feels a tap on her shoulder.

Turning, she sees Cameron.

He gives her a soft smile "Thanks... for saving me,"

Artemis wants to smile, but she still feels pissed at him for getting her in trouble.

Yet, she can't stay completely angry at him - they are friends united in common torment after all.

"ARTEMIS!" calls her father.

Artemis scrambles to catch up with her family. Cameron also pursues his father in haste.

Who knows what will happen if they keep their dads waiting.

* * *

That night, the two sit on Artemis' bed. She dresses his wounds while he eats food that she prepared for him. It's nothing special - eggs, toast with jam, and a recovery drink - a powdered substance in water that their fathers make them drink after every exercise. It tastes horrible, but their dads make them drink it anyway. They say it will help them as they get stronger.

She'd cook him something else if she knew how, but then again, she's only six.

There's a heavy rainstorm outside, and the electricity is down. All they have are a few candles and a faulty flashlight that could fizz out any second.

Of course, Cameron is thankful for the treatment and compliments her 'cooking', but both know if the places were swapped and roles reversed, Cameron would have done the same thing for her.

He did actually: In the past winter, Artemis was left in an abandoned cave in a cluster of mountains and told to spend the night their. While she was able to feed herself and build a small fire, she was inches away from hypothermia when they found her. She was left at Cameron's house that night (their dads were on another mission) and he took care of her. He nearly suffocated her with blankets and made endless pots of coffee.

What they do for each other isn't a big deal. It's not a caring gesture or a charitable notion - it's their life.

Even since they could walk, their fathers have put them through hell (along with Artemis' older sister and a few other kids). Usually after their worst experiences, their dads would go on assignments and leave the two to take care of each other. They had the training to protect themselves from burglars, and knew basic survival skills, they could spend an evening alone in an apartment, even though they weren't even close to puberty yet.

Jade pops into her and Artemis' shared bedroom, then promptly leaves through the window dressed in the same black outfit as she wore that day. She says in passing "I'm going out," then practically flies down the fire escape and joins a group of other older trainees. Artemis spots them out the window, and watches as her sister and the others vanish into the night.

The girl is only ten and she acts like a teenager.

But when you're put through the stuff they are, you grow up fast. Faster than they should.

Artemis sighs and returns to dressing Cameron's wound.

He scarfs down the eggs and chugs at the recovery drink. But when he gets to the toast, he starts to nibble at it. He then begins to watch her dress the rope burn on his ankles.

"Artemis?"

Artemis looks up from the agitated skin that encircles his ankle. Worry lines have formed on his face, but the look on his face is one full of curiosity. "Do you think-" he pauses to reconsider his question. Might be worried that it's a stupid question, and tries to think of the right wording "Do you think it will always be like this?"

Artemis blinks at him. She doesn't know what to say. Years have passed and the training has only gotten harder. When their training years are done, they will have to apply it. They will becomes assassins for the League of Shadows just like their dads before them. And who knows what that's really like.

"I don't know," confesses Artemis.

Cameron looks down at his ankles and nods. He was probably expecting that response.

Artemis continues to dress the wounds - a little slower this time. She too busy thinking about what the future holds.

She doesn't quite understand what her father does. Yes, she knows that he kills people. But how? Who are these people? Are they bad? Good? Are they killed out of spite? Business? The greater good? And how does her father go about killing them?

Artemis also wonders how death can be taken so lightly. If someone she knew died, she'd be more than heartbroken. But yet, her father causes it all the time, and expects her to do so.

Artemis often thinks about what it's like to kill someone. If her father can do it, is it really a big deal? She often wonders what it's _like_ to die, but it scares her too much to give it any serious thought.

Pretty heavy stuff for such a young child to think about. But being surrounded by assassins will cause you to think this way.

"Artemis?"

She doesn't look up at him this time. She worried about what he'll ask next. She just nods to show that she's heard him. "Can you promise me something?" he asks sweetly.

Now, Artemis looks up at the young boy. The corners of his mouth a slightly turned up forming a small smile. It's a rare occurrence to see a smile from either of the two of them (children and they rarely smile. Is there such a thing?). "Can you promise me that we'll always have each other? Especially when things get really bad, we should have someone there to help," he asks.

Artemis' face is locked in neutral. She blinks back any emotion she might show.

Promises aren't taken lightly in her home. She finds it's the one thing she can take pride in - her ability to keep her promises. But that one is just too big. She thinks about her dad. He's probably had hundreds of different partners, and just happened to find one with a kid. How many people has he left behind? Artemis would never leave anyone behind. But she might change when she's older. Or she might just simply _have to_.

But something about his begging eyes causes her to nod her head.

He just smiles in response and returns to his toast.

She continues to dress his wound.

They fall asleep on Artemis' bed - cradled in each other's arms for comfort. They're only children, so sharing a bed means nothing more than friendship. They find a rare sense of safety in each others arms. They often rely on themselves for protection, but it's nice to have someone their to keep you safe. Most children have that security with their parents. These children don't have that luxury.

They wake up before either of their family members return. They play cards until Jade returns and Cameron's dad comes to take him home.

They continue to train together in the same torturous way they always have. They spend nights at each other's house, dressing wounds, feeding the other and resting their tired little bodies in (usually) the same bed. EVen as they hit their pre-teen years, they see nothing wrong with a guy and a girl friend just sharing a bed.

They never speak of the promise again.

But there is a bond that has formed between them. One that they might forget about in the future, but is still their none the less.

* * *

**So, I hope this scene made sense.**

**Just to clarify, when they shared a bed, it wasn't a romantic implication, just like a really close friendship thing... but you guys got that...**

**Also, Matson is Hook and Eric is Black Spider for those who didn't know. This is set before Eric got his spider like abilities, but Matson has his Hook.**

**So, how did I do? Tell me in a REVIEW!**


	2. A little Chilly

**Okay, so this scene is an extended version of that scene in the comic where Artemis goes to see Cameron in prison... if that makes sense. Hope you guys like it. Enjoy!**

* * *

_Nine years later..._

Then, he just smiled.

Artemis hates that smile. It's the smile he gives her when he knows something she doesn't.

Like when they were entering their pre-teens years - Artemis eight and Cameron ten - he smiled like that before every training session; she would ask him if he knew what training would be like before hand, and he would just smile at her.

You see, Cameron's father always told him what his training would be like before hand. Artemis' father did not. Cameron's dad had little faith in his son to succeed in the exercises, so, to try an avoid embarrassment, he told his son what to expect in training that day. Artemis' dad was a little more cold-hearted (than an ice-villain. Ironic), and refrained from telling his daughters anything.

Still, Artemis would always excel at the exercises, and Cameron would just be able to call his a 'pass'.

In that regard, Artemis always had the upper hand. She was a better trainee than he was, and always had been.

So, Cameron took any chance he got to make himself feel superior to Artemis. This manifested into flaunting his knowledge of the future in front of her eyes, and leaving her clueless as to what was going to happen. He would do this by curling the edges of his lips into _that_ smile.

Artemis knew whenever Cameron made that smile, he wouldn't tell her a thing. She could do whatever he wanted, and he wouldn't spill. Hell, Artemis believed that if she showed him her breasts, he still wouldn't budge.

Not that she would... obviously.

She decides to give up on questioning him, knowing she won't get anywhere.

"Jerk-off," she snarls, giving him a glare with her eyes, but a smirk with her mouth.

Cameron laughs "Look, just take my advice; try to get a transfer to Belle Reve. I _promise_ you, you won't regret it," he says with a wink.

"I'll think about it." She says it absentmindedly.

Because, in her head, she's actually thinking about what she's going to tell GA later. She feels horrible enough having to be a snitch on her oldest and closest friend, and not even giving that much information up.

Meanwhile, her new teammates are fighting real crime; the thing she wanted to do when she signed on to be apart of their team. _They're_ not going into prisons and being a bunch of pitiful snitches.

Artemis sighs as she thinks about her new teammates - if you could even call them that.

While they had been nice in welcoming her, she still felt a lot of hostility from the other super teens. Especially that Kid Flash guy. What was his problem? So what their other archer had some identity issues and didn't want to join the team? Big deal. Her skills are probably the same if not better than his. Her own life has taken it's own drastic turn, and _they_ aren't making it any better on her.

But she couldn't blame the team for her awkward transition into a new life. In general, it had been a weird few months -

Her dad has had her training independently for the last six years, the morning after Jade left. Training had become more intensive, and, according to her father, Artemis' had her sister to thank.

A few days after her fifteenth birthday, her father started going a mission that would take him away for weeks, even months. And Artemis was stuck waiting for him - waiting for him to tell her what to do next. When she figured he wasn't coming back, Artemis had to learn to wait for her mother.

It was when her mother finally came home that. Artemis decided to do something with her life instead of wait. So she picked up her bow and put her training to good use. Only, on the right side. GA and Bats took an interest and put her on the team she'd dreamt of joining.

Everything in her life was finally going right, and her past was nearly forgotten.

At least, that's what she figured at the time.

After she joined the team, he past started popping up again everywhere she went.

Seeing Jade again was like a stab in her heart. Her sister had actually gone and done the thing their father had trained them to do, despite wanting to turn her back on him. And after not seeing her for six years? That was just twisting the blade to the blonde archer.

Now, seeing Cameron after all this time - she feels like fate is trying to deliver a message to her - not letting her forget about the past she tried to escape.

"So, what are you in for, anyway?"

Artemis is snapped out of her thoughts by Cameron's inquiry. She blinks in response. She didn't really come up with a good story before seeing him again (bad move on her part), and now, she has to sit with him until GA comes and gets her - and who knows how long that will be.

"Uh... robbery," she mutters. "Just a small convenient store in Star. Nothing major,"

"Nice," says Cam as he clasps his hands behind his head. He reclines a little in his seat and looks to be getting rather comfortable. He even goes as far as closing his eyes. "How long has it been, Arty?" he pauses "Still hate it when I call you that?" he adds laughs.

Artemis glares at him, then gives a small sigh. She's a little humored at the fact he had remembered how much she hated it when people shortened her name. It sounded to childish and unprofessional to her, and she liked how he recalled it himself.

But then, her smiled faded when she figured out the answer to his first question. "It's been about six years, Cam," she replied solemnly.

She can see the smirk on his face flattened out to a straight line. "That long, eh?" he replies.

Artemis nods and drops her head to the floor. Obviously, the separation took a toll on both of them.

She can't even remember the last time she saw him.

Actually, yes. She can.

It was their first 'mission' - Artemis nine, Cameron eleven. Their dads had told them to pair up as it was both their first time 'breaking the law'. It was just robbing a bank - Artemis can't remember where - and it didn't take a lot of effort. They had completed their mission perfectly and practically flawlessly.

Then, the two were taken home and never saw each other again.

They figured their dads wanted them to train on their own for a while, and not be so dependent on someone else. Especially in Artemis' case when her father figured that she would try and take off like Jade. But they had no other form of communication between them.

So, the only connection that they had was completely lost.

To add to that devastating moment for Artemis, their first and last mission was hours before Jade took off. Two of the most important people in Artemis' young life were gone - she could only guess for forever.

"I've missed you, you know," says Cameron quietly.

Artemis smiles to herself. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't missed him as well. They were able to get through their struggles together. Always having someone to count on when things got really bad.

So, when they couldn't see each other, the training just got a whole lot harder to get through.

"I guess things just don't change, huh?" he suggests.

Artemis bites her lip. She wants to tell him about _her_ drastic change, but can't really bring herself to do it. She can't hurt him like that, even though he'll find out sooner or later. She feels as though she's betrayed him and left him on the wrong side.

She always remembered the promise she made all those years ago; that they would always have each other.

She hates herself - some friend she turned out to be. Even if Cameron didn't remember the promise, even if he didn't care about it, it still irritates her conscience.

As she thinks, Cameron opens his eyes and begins to look her over "Your hair is longer. Must piss your dad off," he says. "And that's not the only thing that's grown, is it?" he smiles darkly.

Artemis is guided out of her train of thought at the sound of his voice. Quick to respond, she growls; "I told you not to be gross, Cam," with an eye roll. However, she is kind of flattered.

Cameron laughs. "Aw, c'mon, lighten up. We used to joke about that kind of stuff all the time, remember?" he asks, wiggling his eyebrow.

Artemis does remember. She remembers all of the dirty jokes that said to each other around the time she turned ten. They commented in a sexual way about each other's bodies; fake flirting one minute, dirty jokes the next.

Yes, they were young to be talking bout such things, but their dads didn't let them watch cartoons or child friendly programming as kids. They didn't even watch their language or their topics of discussion around their children. So Cameron and Artemis grew up in an adult world were the subject of sex was taken lightly and liberally.

Not to mention; they had seen each other naked - more than once. Of course, those episodes were accidents. But neither of them made a big deal out of it. By that point, they had seen a lot worse.

"Still got that birth mark on your ass?" asks Artemis with a degrading smirk.

Cameron smiles "I'll show you mine if you show me yours," he winks.

Artemis gives him a gentle punch and the two share a laugh-

One that is interrupted by a redhead in a dark suit. The two stop their laughing an look up at the man; he wears a pair of dark sunglasses to cover his eyes, and a scowl on his face to hide any emotion. He's tall, and looms over them like a figure of extreme authority.

His attentions are focused on Artemis - who recognizes him right away. "Artemis Crock? I'm you're attorney. Follow me," he instructs, gesturing with his head for her to follow him.

Artemis nods - on cue - and turns to Cameron. "See you around, Snowflake,"

Cameron doesn't take offense, just gives her a laugh. "Don't cause too _little_ trouble,"

With a last smile to her friend, Artemis stands and follows the redhead in the suit. As he leads her down a long hall of the Star City Prison, she gives one more glance at Cam; she sees him readjusting his seating again to get more comfortable.

Artemis bites her lip and turns her head back around to face forward again.

Despite what he had said, Cameron _had_ changed. He was not the scared little boy Artemis knew; he is starting to get evil.

His attack on Independence Day was the first 'bad' thing he's even done in the eyes of the world, and, unless he stays behind bars, Artemis knows more will come - that's how his dad trained him; never give up. That's the same way her dad taught her.

Only, she was able to get out. Cameron wasn't so lucky.

She fears the idea of having to watch him become something horrible - something she might have to go after at some point. What will she do about that?

Then, it hits her; why is Cameron so relaxed about being busted? His father is in Belle Reve at the moment; wouldn't he be pissed to see his son join him and not be continuing their family legacy on the outside? He would probably beat him senseless. Cameron would know that...

As she thinks, the redhead leads Artemis into an elevator and gestures for her to go inside. Artemis nods and follows his command. He follows her in, and presses the button that would carry them to the roof.

When the doors close, the redhead grunts loudly. "I don't think the mission called for inappropriate behavior, replacement," he spits, obviously commenting on her vulgar joking with the younger villain.

Artemis growls at her mentors former apprentice "What are you doing here anyway, _Speedy_?" she says his old alias with venom and sarcasm - only to piss him off "I thought you had more of a backbone then to respond every time your mentor calls for you,"

Roy squeezes his hand into a fist in an attempt to control his anger. "Heroes help heroes; that's how it works," he looks down at her "I thought _you_ would have picked up on that,"

She frowns, then cocks her eyebrow. "Heroes also have dignity - which I guess you lack,"

He barres his teeth, and leans down to her level, _trying_ to intimidate her. "You know what? -"

Roy is cut off mid sentence as the elevator doors open on the roof of the prison. Green Arrow is waiting for them, and gives them a warm smile when he sees them. "Everything go to plan?" he asks.

The two younger Arrows nod. Oliver's smile widens "Roy," he says, looking over at his ex-sidekick, "go fill out Artemis' bale papers,"

Roy nods and gives Artemis a little push out of the elevator as he hits the 'down' button. Artemis is able to shoot him one last glare before the doors close. When she turns about to Oliver, he gestures for her to come closer to him. She nods and walks towards the older archer.

"So?" he asks, signaling for her to tell him all the information she gathered from Cameron.

Artemis takes in a deep breath. She doesn't want to snitch on Cameron, but that's what she was assigned to do.

She begins to tell Green Arrow everything about her encounter with the younger ice-villain.

Before each piece of information Artemis' gives to Oliver, she thinks about Cameron and hopes that he would forgive her. Even though she feels like she doesn't deserve it._  
_

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	3. Starting to Freeze

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took me so long to update - first year uni; a little stressful.**

**Anyway, here's another chapter. Enjoy :)**

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Cameron practically stumbles into the museum as his efforts to run have failed him. His vision is blurry and his head is spinning. His limbs feel like they're numbing and his knees are shaking. He's sweating more then he should be, and activating his power is taking a lot longer than it should.

Basically, the young ice villain is currently dead tired.

When the 'Break from Belle Reve' operation failed, every criminal was re-trialed. This only meant that everyone was automatically guilty for participating in the operation, and had a few years tacked onto their original sentence.

Cameron, however, was released within a year.

Since he was, after all, still a minor, he was re-trialed as one, and only had to serve a few months for both his Independence Day antics, and his participation in the attempted break.

Strangely, a year had also been scratched off his sentence when an 'unknown source' had tipped off the jury that Cameron played a small part in the demise of the plan.

The source had failed to mention that Cameron didn't know he was actually _helping_ the good guys. He was perfectly content with trying to break out during the time. But, when that point came up in the trail, Cameron just nodded along and gave his two cents about helping the Superboy and the Martian girl without giving too much detail.

So, Cameron was sent to Juvie - leaving behind a whole prison full of criminals who all had it out for him.

Word of his assist to the heroes had spread like wildfire. Leaving every con to swear their revenge on Cameron.

His father used this to his advantage.

He told Cameron that if he could successfully carry out every single crime his father gave him, he would promise that Cameron would be safe when the convicts got out.

To date, Cameron has been working none stop for the past month. No sleep, rarely anything to eat, and water was only received if the mission was successful.

Luckily for Cameron, the missions, jobs, and crimes were easy for him. He could do whatever his father asked smoothly without any complications.

Unluckily for Cameron, his father asked _a lot_ of him.

At the beginning of every week, Cameron would visit his father, who would slip him a list of jobs Cameron had to complete before their next visit.

And the list was long - two to three jobs every day.

Cameron wants a break. He would give-up his powers just for a nap. But, if one job went undone, that just meant a criminal coming after him.

Yet Cameron was at the point where death sounded a lot like a nice nap.

Cameron rests his hands on his knees as he struggles to catch his breath. When he feels healed from his short jog, he lifts his head and scans the interior of the 'Ancient Greek Weapons' floor.

Tonight's Mission: Steel an old Greek quiver of arrows and deliver it to Lex Luthor from the Star City museum.

Why? Cameron didn't know and didn't want to ask. He figured that Lex would want to analyze the ancient artifact and manipulate it somehow. Probably into another weapon.

As Cameron looks around, he finds that there are at least twenty different quivers filled with arrows set is tall glass cases around the room.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," he mumbles quietly.

"Which one is it, Eric?" asks Cameron into his earpiece. He sounds a little annoyed, as the young ice villain just wants to go home as soon as possible and try to get some sleep.

"Someone sounds pissed," cackles Eric. Cameron frowns and looks up to the roof. Through the sky-light, Cameron can see the biggest pain in the ass, and short-time partner, Eric - aka: Black spider.

After Cameron was released, His father had made contact with Eric and told him to help Cameron when he felt his son needed it. He needed the jobs done, and wasn't willing to leave anything to chance.

Eric and Cameron knew each other well enough from when they trained as kids together. But, just like how he and Artemis were separated, so was he and Eric.

When they saw each other again, it wasn't totally awkward since they had already been aquatinted, but Eric had a nasty habit of teasing the younger Shadow.

Eric only help out one of the three mission everyday, so he wasn't as tired as Cameron was. But Cameron preferred when he did his mission alone. Working with Eric was like an hour long roast.

"Just tell me which one it is for I can get the fuck out of here," growled Cameron.

"Look for the quiver with only one arrow in it, that's the one we're looking for," said Eric. "The other ones seem to be up your ass," he laughed.

Cameron frowned. Eric knows that he was tried and grumpy, so it didn't help that he bothered him on every mission. "Shut-up, Spidey," spits Cameron as he tip-toes around the room.

"Do you think I want to be here?" asks Eric "I'm not the one who's in a ten feet deep pile of shit. If you don't want my help, I can easily re-activate the alarm system," he argues through the earpiece. "You and your dad owe me for helping you,"

"My dad would probably kill you before you threaten him,"

"Wow. Big man for hiding behind Sr. Popsicle. Going to wet your pants again, Jr.?"

"You know what, asshole -"

"There!"

"What?"

Cameron looks back up to the skylight, and sees Eric pointing at a glass case from the roof. Following the gesture, Cameron lays his eyes on a smaller case tucked away in the corner of the room. Cameron arches his eyebrow. Strange how Lex wants the smaller artifact. Usually, Villains go for the things in the center of the room.

"Why don't I just grab on of the others that are full with arrows?" whines Cameron as he trudges to the less-spectacular quiver.

Eric groans loudly from the other end of the earpiece. "Cause the order was for that one, Ice-cube. Besides, that arrow is the only one found of it's kind - pretty important if you ask me. It's probably kept in the back cause it has less arrows, and is less shinny. Probably also to prevent people from wanting to steal it. Logic at it's best," he chuckles.

Cameron pauses in front of the case of the quiver and cocks his eyebrow. Knowing he has plenty of time - he froze all of the guards on the way in, and Eric shut down the alarm system - he stares at it for a minute. "What so special about it?" he asks. looking for the best point of entry into the case.

Eric huffs loudly "Daddy didn't tell you any Greek bedtime stories?" jokes the arachnid villain. "It belonged to one of the Goddesses in the Trojan war. During the battle, another Goddess - Hera I think - knocked it off or something and all of the arrows fell out. That left the Goddess helpless, and couldn't defend Troy, leading to it's fall to the Greeks," says Eric in his mocking-storytelling voice. "Read a book every once and a while,"

"You can read?"

"Good one," says Eric sarcastically.

Cameron chuckles to himself at his small win over the older villain. "Which Goddess?" asks Cameron as he uses the tip of his sharp, frozen finger to carve a hole in the case.

Cameron can practically hear Eric mischievously grinning on the other end "Your favorite one,"

Looking confused as he reaches in and pulls the quiver out of the case, Cameron presses on his earpiece to make sure he heard Eric. "What the hell is that supposed to-?"

Cameron stops mid-sentence when his eyes fall to the plaque on the top of the case. It reads _Artemis' Quiver and Last Arrow._

A soft smile forms on Cameron's face as he reads the name.

Artemis.

He hadn't seen her since they sat together in the Star City prison. He spent most of his recent days wondering what happened to her. Had she gotten out of jail? Was she still there?

His smile faded as he wondered if she had heard the news of his failed jail break. What would she think of him now knowing that he had crumbled a fool-proof plan?

"Pretty girl," comments Eric slyly. "Too bad she turned out to be a double crossing bitch - such a shame," he adds darkly.

Carmon cocks his eyebrow again. "What do you mean?" he asks swinging the quiver over his back. He sends a nod up to Eric who reciprocates the action, opens the skylight, and feeds one of his webs down to the museum floor. Cameron secures a firm grasp on it, sends another nod to Eric, and proceeds to allow for his accomplice to reel him up to the roof.

"She's - ugh - God, you're heavy - gone good side,"

Cameron almost lets go of the web.

No. It couldn't be. He had seen her in Star City, she was going to Juvie. "What do you mean?"

"I - ugh - seriously, can you loose some weight next time? - saw her a few months ago. She and - ugh - her Mickey Mouse club of sidekicks prevented Cheshire, Hook, and I from assassinating Serling Roquette,"

Cameron vaguely remembers his father saying something that like - about the assassination being foiled by kids, but he never mentioned Artemis.

He can't believe it. Not Artemis. She was practically bound to be the next top assassin for the Shadows (right after Jade of course). It didn't make sense. Her father was ruthless and trained her well. How could she escape?

"But - I saw her in -,"

Then, Cameron shuts his mouth.

He may be unobservant, but he's not stupid.

Piecing it together, it starts to make sense.

The last time Cameron saw her, he had told Artemis to get a transfer to Belle Reve. He didn't tell her why, but - knowing her - she would have automatically found that suspicious. She then would have passed the information along.

That's why two junior heroes were in Belle Reve during the break. How else would they have known?

Cameron felt like more of an idiot than ever. It was one thing to be fooled by an impostor. Another, however, to have been tricked into giving intel to dirty little snitch.

And Artemis no less.

The idiocy that Cameron felt came only a little from giving information, then letting the Superboy use him. The rest of his emotions were mixed with betrayal.

She had snitched on him. No other way of saying it. Even after all they had been through, and she had no problem with throwing him under the bus.

She promised she wouldn't do this to him. He never forgot that promise.

"Heads up!" suddenly yells Eric loud enough for Cameron to hear him without the help of the earpiece.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Cameron fanatically looks around the room to see what Eric is screaming about.

When he sees it, it's too late.

Flying in his direction is a long green arrow.

He doesn't have time to react before it cuts through the webbing, sending Cameron plummeting to the ground. He hits the marble floor hard, causing pieces of his ice exoskeleton to crack off and fly in every direction. The impact it self sounded like broken glass.

He black out for a moment, and wakes just in time to see the shooter of the arrow run into the room and re-load their weapon.

It is undoubtedly Artemis. No question about it.

Cameron can tell from the long hair and defined abs right away. When he looks closer, he can make out her stormy grey eyes.

"Artemis?" he calls out to the blond archer.

The archer also seems more than surprised to see him. He can't hear her well, but he cam swear she mouthed; "Cam?"

Suddenly, a web shoots down from the ceiling. Artemis is only able to just doge it. Cameron muses himself on the fact that she learned those reflexes from her sister.

"Is that the itsy bitsy spider?" she says through a clenched jaw. Cameron cocks an eyebrow - does she not know that it's Eric? Probably not, he adapted his alias only recently.

"Artemis, babe, long time no see," says Eric as he descends down from the roof of the building on a web.

Artemis follows him with her eyes. She doesn't know who it is right away, as she has only seen the mask, but hearing the voice behind the mask gives away the owner of said voice right away. "Eric," she says with venom, narrowing her eyes on her older and past training partner "Figured it was you. You always struck me as an insect," she spits, loading an arrow onto her bow.

Artemis never really liked Eric. He and her sister took pleasure in bullying and teasing both Artemis and Cameron as kids. While this usually happens between kids who are close enough to be siblings, the kind of bullying Shadow kids do is a little more traumatizing. Needless to say, Artemis holds a grudge.

Eric laughs as he lands gracefully on the marble floor. Walking over to her slowly, he stops just a few feet away and folds his arms over his chest. "Water doesn't pass under the bridge for you, does it?" he chuckles. Although you can't see his eyes, Artemis knows he's letting his eyes drape over her body. "You really grew up, didn't you, babe? That uniform is tempting me to just let you take me away,"

Suddenly, an arrow flies out of nowhere, opens up into a net, and pins Eric to the ground.

"Over my dead body!" growls Green Arrow as he walks in from the shadows to Artemis' side. Artemis smiles with satisfaction at her mentor's actions.

Cameron freaks out at the sight of emerald archer. Of course she would have dawned the green uniform and joined with only archer in the Justice League. Why not? She already turned her back on everything, why not twist the blade in deeper?

He figures that they must have been on patrol and saw the break in.

"Well this is just crap-tacular," mutters Cameron to himself. Knowing Artemis, she would have been hard enough to handle. Now the big guns (or arrows) are out.

"That can be arranged," says Eric. Green Arrow doesn't have enough time to prepare himself as Eric weaves his wrist through a hole in the net, and shots a web at his captor.

The older archer collapses on impact, and hits his head as his body hits the floor, knocking him out.

Artemis gasps and Eric laughs.

But, In the few moments that Eric takes to bath in his triumph, Artemis loads another arrow, and aims it at him. Within seconds, Eric is covered in a green gell that prevents him from moving his body around.

Artemis looks down at her prey - satisfaction painted on her face "Down came the arrow, and took the spider out," she smirks at the struggling Eric.

Cameron snarls - she was _not_ going to mess this up for him, not after what she did. He hops onto his feet and aims both hands at her. "Out came the ice, and froze up all the arrows!"

Artemis looks up just in time to see the wad of ice shooting in her direction. She uses her reflexes once more to duck out of the way, missing the ice by millimeters. The wall behind her, wasn't so lucky.

Artemis glances at the wall; covered ice. It will takes weeks (if not months) for the curator to thaw that out. Snapping her head forward again, she spots the source for the attack.

Cameron is stomping towards her - fists clenched, eyes glaring. She never seen him this angry. It terrifies her.

"You little, scheming, double-crossing, slimy, snitch!" he yells at the top of his lunges.

"Cameron-"

He doesn't want to hear it. "Don't 'Cameron' me! I don't need an explanation from you!"

Blinded by pure hatred, Cameron doesn't notice Artemis slowly stand and back away from him at a slow pace - like an average human backing up from a bear.

"Cameron, let's talk about this-"

It is then that Cameron notices Artemis bring her hand to her thigh and have it hover over her crossbow. He stops dead in his tracks and thickens his glare.

"_Really_?" he practically screams "After all we've been through? After the promise you made? You'd send me BACK to prison? Don't you know what happened? What they would DO to me?"

"Cameron, please-"

"The break was spoiled - spoiled because _I_ tried to help someone who I thought was my friend! Don't you get it? Don't you know what you've done?"

He doesn't hesitate to send horrifying amount of ice spikes in her direction. She misses the mass of them, but one rouge one was able to just graze her shoulder. The pain throws her off balance as she wraps her hand around the freshly cut and bloody wound.

Cameron, still in all of his fury, sends another stream of ice in her direction. She is able to roll out of the way in the direction of her bow. When she reaches it, she sends an arrow his way. Before it hits him, it forms a boxing glove tip in midair. On impact, it 'punches' him in the face.

He stumbles into a glass case. The window breaks, but not enough for the glass to shatter down on him. Not that it would have matter with his ice armor.

He see Artemis running his way - bow loaded, arrow at the ready. There isn't enough time to create ice, and his reflexes aren't fast enough. "Here it comes," is all he can think to himself.

Then, the strangest thing happens. Time slows down just enough for Cameron to see it.

Artemis stops at a fair distance - as an archer would - and aims. But just before she releases the arrow (having the obvious and easiest drop on him) she pauses.

The pause gives Cameron just enough time to recuperate and shoot a beam of ice in her direction. It's a small wad, but just enough to push Artemis all the way to the opposite wall and freeze her torso there.

She yells - more of a frustrated growl than a scream of pain - and tries to wiggle her way out of the ice

Cameron walks up to her slowly. He only stops when their faces are inches apart.

When she detects his presence, she stops struggling. Her face relaxes so it is calm and neutral.

His expression is quite the opposite - his eyebrow are tightly knit, and his eyes are narrowed. Jaw clenched - teeth clamped together.

He _hates_ her. He hates her more than he's every hated anyone. He's been backstabbed before - comes with the life - but she was the _last_ person he expected it from. And it breaks his heart that after they did for each other, she would just turn on him.

He raises his hand in preparation to slap her. And with a hand made a pure ice, it would surely shatter her jaw.

But, she doesn't flinch. She just stares at him with calm eyes.

The stare tells him everything he's thinking. She _knows_ how he feels, and is willing to take a punishment from him. He can't tell if she feels bad about her actions, but she _does_ feel bad that Cameron had to pay for it. She was just following orders, but never meant for Cameron to get hurt.

In fact, thinking about it; that pause - when she had the drop on him - wasn't a hesitation, it was allowing for him to take the fight into his own terms.

She's _letting_ him get away. Maybe that's how she wants to pay him back.

He can't tell if he likes it or not, but he would be lying if he said he didn't appreciate it. He doesn't want her charity, but (and he would never say this out loud) he _needed_ it.

Yet Cameron lets his hand hover in the air. He could just capture her right now - win points from his dad, the other villains, go down in history. Sportsmaster would be happy to…

But she gave him a chance - he owes her that much.

He drops his hand and slightly relaxes his frown. She doesn't change her expression much, which irritates him.

She did that to him as children - whenever he was angry at her for something (perhaps winning over him in a training exercise (which happened a lot, but she didn't really have a choice)), she would make that face until her calmed down.

He didn't _want_ to calm down. He didn't _want_ to forgive her. But the face still works.

Nevertheless, he still doesn't want to let her think she won the fight. "You not even _worth_ it, Crock," he spits in her face "I'll let you go this time - just so you can live with the guilt!"

Without waisting anytime, Cameron storms away, collects the arrows, and heads for the door.

He about to leave when he hears a venomous "Just going to leave your partner here?"

Cameron freezes at the door. He forgot about Eric.

He doesn't want to go back for his partner, and his dad wouldn't be pissed unless the mission failed. He decides to use this opportunity to make Artemis more guilty than she already was, and he knows just what to say; "Why not? You were able to,"

He doesn't need to look back know the expression on Artemis' face.

He storms out of the museum and marches down the street. Lex had his personal driver take them to the museum, and had it wait for them when they were down.

Upon approaching the car, Cameron tosses the driver through the passenger seat window to the driver. The driver - an older gentlemen - looks confused and asks "Where's the other one?"

Cameron just shrugs "Got tied up,"

The driver chuckles for a moment - probably sees the humor it bad villain puns. Setting the quiver to the side, he smiles gently at Cameron and asks; "Need a ride? Mr. Luthor offers full benefits to his successfully employees,"

Cameron shakes his head. He needs to be alone right now.

"Suit yourself," says the driver. "Your father will be alerted by tomorrow morning. Good work kid,"

Then, he drives off, leaving Cameron alone on the empty streets.

With a sigh, Cameron ices down, turns on his heels, and walks slowly to his (well, his fathers) apartment. It's not much of a walk, but it feels a lot longer to the slow paced Cameron.

He feels more sad than worried now. No doubt Artemis' skills are superior to his, but she's fighting against a bunch of killers. At least Cameron has a _chance_ to survive.

What worries him more is if they have to fight each other again. He'll already have to explain to his father why he didn't capture her, what happens next time? Will he have to kill her? Will she capture him? Obviously, she can't let him go again.

And, even more obviously, he was never mad at her. How could he be? They meant the world to each other. So what happens now?

When he gets into his apartment, he flops on his bed. Suddenly, he can't sleep. He spends the rest of the night begging fate that they will both end-up alright, and never have to cross paths again.

But he _knows_ they will.

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	4. Who They Are

**GAH! Late update! Sorry y'all! Hope this chapter was worth the wait!**

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_One month later_...

Cameron can't help but laugh at the current situation.

Picture this:

Robin (currently unconscious) with his hands frozen to an old car door as he is seated on the ground with his legs out in front of him.

Kid Flash (still conscious (unfortunately)) with his torso frozen to a busted refrigerator.

And Cameron loving every moment of his triumph.

Earlier that day, Cameron had received word from his father that a couple of thugs had contacted him in prison, and were looking for work from the older ice villain. Since the Senior was still in prison, he had asked the Junior to go and represent him at a meeting in the Happy Harbor junkyard. Cameron went only to find that it was an ambush from two of the former sidekicks. Apparently, they had received word that Cameron was doing jobs for incarcerated prisoners at Belle Reve, and wanted to stop him.

Cameron could only guess where they had gotten that information; Artemis sold him out once again.

More out of pure frustration and rage than reflexes, Cameron was able to freeze them before they could react. To add to his victory, Robin had hit his head against the car which knocked him out right away. This relieved Cameron more so since the Bat-brat was out of the picture.

So now, all Cameron could do was laugh.

Maybe it's because he's so over tired from working all of those jobs, or maybe he's just so proud of himself, but Cameron is laughing so historically that he is just levels away from sounding like the Joker. Either he's laughing at the ridiculousness and frustration of the situation, or just in victory, but he's laughing like there's no tomorrow.

He starts to bring his laugh down as he decides what to do with the two juniors. The best thing to do would be to kill them on the spot. However, he doesn't want their enraged mentor's coming after him - especially since he's all alone.

Cameron scratches his chin to add satire to the moment. But as he thinks, he can hear silent whispers coming from Kid Flash.

He can't make out too much except for "Robin's out … back-up … now!"

Cameron snarls and whips around to face the redheaded hero. "Excuse me?" he yells loudly as he stomps toward Kid Flash. He hopes that he'll install some sort of fear in the young hero, but no dice. Apparently, even the younger heroes don't give up when they know every thing is lost (and sadly, it usually isn't).

Kid Flash doesn't react as Cameron wishes. Instead, he smirks. "I wasn't talking to you," he taunts.

Cameron growls. He's still tried from all the jobs he's had to do, and doesn't want some punk kid sassing him. "Wet Willy!" yells Cameron (trying to sound mocking of the hero) and ices-up his finger. Jamming the pointed tip into Kid Flash's ear, he pulls it out a second later to find that it had poked through a (now broken) ear piece. Cameron growls in irritation. Obviously, the kid has called for back-up. He regrets to think that he should have figured as much.

He crumbles the rest of the small machine in the palm of his hand and dumps the shards of metal to the ground. Cameron tries to give his most threatening glare as he asks "Then who were you taking to?"

Suddenly, a boxing glove flies out of nowhere and pouches Cameron in the face, sending him down to the ground to land on his front. When his head stops spinning, he lifts it slightly and sees that the boxing glove is attached to the end of a green arrow.

"Her," mocks Kid Flash.

"Eh fuck," sighs Cameron placing two and two together.

A girl archer that was on a junior hero team? Only conclusion: Artemis is here.

His predictions are confirmed when a thick boot flips him onto his back. Looking up, he can see the blonde staring down at his menacingly. She stands over him with her feet placed at either side of her body, and she is armed with a crossbow that his aimed right at his face.

"I should probably say a bad victory pun: Time to take out the trash," she smirks.

Cameron let's his head drop to the ground. It's mostly because he's over tired, but all he can think about his how close he was to ending the mission, and how it was taken from his so easily. He isn't considering the fear of returning to a prison where a group of people want him dead, and he isn't thinking about how Artemis continues to betray him. He's thinking more about what his dad will say when he lectures him on this later.

While he is caught-up in his thought's, he starts to hear Artemis and Kid Flash arguing.

"What took you so long?" asks Kid Flash.

"I wouldn't be talking Kid Popsicle."

"Sorry, can't hear you - my eardrum is pierced because _someone_ didn't show up on time!"

Cameron looks up at them with disbelief. Some team unit they are, all they're doing is arguing as opposed to 'taking care' of him.

Artemis turns away from Cameron for a second to address Kid Flash "You know what,-"

Cameron uses this opportunity.

Using his legs, he knocks over her stance causing her to fall on the ground next to him. When he is free, he rolls out from underneath her and watches her fall to the ground. Her crossbow flies across the yard.

Both quickly jump to their feet and face the other.

"Great, you let him get up!" whines Kid Flash.

"Not now Kid loud mouth!" says Artemis through clenched teeth - keeping her eyes on Cameron.

"Where are the other's?" asks Kid Flash.

"On another mission, remember? Tonight was my night off!" she mutters. Cameron notices the irritation in her voice. Obviously, she doesn't want to be here - she's probably really pissed to. He wonders how his presence effects the situation.

Cameron rolls his eyes as they continue to argue. He could easily just run at this point and they wouldn't notice let alone be prepared for it.

But for some reason, he doesn't run.

Yes, Artemis has her eyes on him, but he can tell that her mind is busied with her and Kid Flash's conversation. Even if she did pursue Cameron, he could still get away. In fact, he could freeze her right now if he wanted to.

But the thing is, he doesn't want to.

For some reason, he is preferring their '(kind of) face-off'. It's like the western movies he used to watch as a kid. All that's missing is the pre-fight banter. He smiles; that could change.

"Hey Kid!" he yells at Kid Flash. This grabs attention and snarls from both heroes. "Why don't you take a time out and let mommy and daddy have a discussion?" _Nailed it! _he thinks

"Leave him alone," says Artemis frowning.

Cameron smiles. "I never took you as a team player."

"Things change."

"Apparently." he says a little more darkly. Artemis' angry gaze lets up a bit at the comment.

She's still guilty, he can tell. But to what extent? If they fight, will they both walk away again this time?

Cameron takes note that Kid Flash looks confused at their discussion. He then begins to wonder if he knows about Artemis' past. Sure, it's not a proud one, but wouldn't that appear on the application?

Cameron gives her a puzzled stare, then looks to Wally, then back to her.

They used to communicate only by stares when they were younger, a skill that neither of them forget.

That was code for: 'Does he know about your past?'

She pauses.

Then, Artemis shakes her head slowly.

Cameron chews on his lip momentarily. Makes sense for her not to talk about her past to superheroes, but he assumed they would know.

So what is he to do? Should he unveil her? Spill her life story to Kid Flash for him to take back to the other heroes? He could. Easily.

But does he want to? He hasn't forgotten the night she paused to let him get away, but he _defiantly _hasn't forgotten how she turned a whole mass of villains against him. She _seems_ to feel guilty about it. He can tell when her eyes are trying to lie to him or not. They are-… were friends.

What are they even? Estranged friends in the middle of an argument? Enemies? Cameron doesn't know, and he has a feeling she doesn't either. He wonders if it even hurts her to go against him. He knows that her father couldn't have impacted her _that_ much. But he did train her. Most Crock's were coldhearted.

"What is he talking about?" asks Wally.

"Nothing." says Artemis.

"I thought I told you to let the adults talk, kid," taunts Cameron. He decides not to tell. Her backstab and hiding her past must be punishment enough for her. Knowing the blonde archer was well as he used to, he could almost see that it was eating her up from the inside.

"You want to keep running your mouth or do you want to dance, frostbite?" she asks.

Cameron smirks. Just like any other Crock - fight first, talk later. "Dance? With a pretty little thing like you?" he says icing-up "Now that'd just turn me on,"

Cameron notes both her annoyance as well as the jealous look from Kid Flash.

The speedster probably has a thing for his old friend. Of course he would, even Cameron thinks she's hot. But he would never see her like that. Well… maybe. But not now!

He considers the jealously from Kid Flash and it makes him laugh. But also made him hate the speedster a little more. What would happen if Artemis fell for the guy? Cameron didn't want to think about the possibility…

"Don't get too hot," she says striking a fighting stance "you'll melt,"

Cameron looks back to Artemis and get's back into the zone. Laughing, he gets into a stance himself. "Well? Don't be a tease - give it to me,"

"Argh!" she screams as she charges at him. Full force, like a powerful bull.

And they're off!

Their battle is like the ones they used to have when they were younger (and the recent one). Lots of flying ice and dodging. Artemis - without her bow - was mostly defenseless against hordes of ice being shot at her. She couldn't attack, and she certainly couldn't attack herself.

As the fight continues Cameron becomes to involved in throwing ice wads to notice that Artemis had taken the fight to the other end of the junk yard.

Before he can register he next move, she lunges for her crossbow and fires an arrow at him.

Just a normal arrow - nothing special. However, it lands right in the crook of his shoulder - a spot that is covered only by a thin layer of ice to allow movement in the joint. Needless to say, it's painful. He stumbles back a bit in hopes of removing the arrow. When he does, he doesn't have enough time to prepare as a boot comes flying towards his face.

The rubber of the side of his cheek is not a foreign feeling from Artemis. Flying kicks were her specialty. As children, he wondered where she and Jade learned to propel themselves into the air at such heights to get enough propulsion for a kick that strong.

He hits the ground just as Artemis lands a little ways away from him. Jumping to his feet, he points his arm at her. Now he's just pissed off.

Sending a ball of ice to her, she blocks it with three explosive arrows before it hits her. However, when the arrows hit the ice, it causes an explosion much strong than just one would.

A small ball of icy fire erupts and a fairly strong shock wave follows.

The blast sends them flying in opposite directions.

When the explosion finishes, smoke and dust fill the air around them. Neither of them can see the other, but both are rolling on the ground - coughing that dirt out of their lungs and trying to get up before the other. No matter how many movies there are that disprove science, explosions hurt.

Carmons , who landed on his front, lifts his head. He can barely make out Artemis' shape through the mess. When it begins to settle and clear, he can see that she is sitting with her back propped up against a car, but her head is sagging. He watches as she looks to either side of her and sees that she landed between Kid Flash and Robin. Kid Flash is unconscious from the blast, and Robin seems more out than he was originally.

She doesn't look defeated, but she doesn't look like she can carry on either. Cameron knows that he wouldn't be able to create an impactful ice-blob for a while, but he is able to maintain is ice exoskeleton, and sees that as an advantage.

He looks at her, and, with his weakest smile, he asks; "Was it good for you?"

She makes eye contact with him and smirks. "Finished so early?" she taunts back.

Suddenly, she raises her crossbow and fires an arrow. He had totally forgotten that she had a death grip on the thing, and thought she had let it go in the explosion.

Before he can get a grip on the situation, the arrow splits into a boxing glove, and gives him a hard punch in the face. He can hear the ice shatter on his forehead, and can feel the 'cracking' sensation.

He doesn't black out, but the world begins to spin. Everything suddenly multiplies, even Artemis. It was a pretty hard punch after a fairly big blast.

He watches as both Artemis's thaw out the two Kid Flash's and two Robin's. He shoots out ice spikes, only to miss his targets by miles. He feels as though hundreds of people are playing squash against the walls of his skull inside his head. His vision starts to blur and loose focus.

He watches as the Artemis's carries the Kid Flash's on their backs and the Robin's in their arms.

They truly are strong girls.

When they fade out of his vision, he goes over onto his side and slowly passes out. In his dreams he thinks about what either of them will tell their supervisors. Artemis will surely make up some stupid lie about how he got away (that's why she couldn't bring him in). And he figures that he'll just say that there wasn't anyone at the yard to his father.

As he drifts further into a deep sleep (in a pile of gunky dirt and dried oil from the junk yard ground), he tries to think of reasons that she didn't take him in. Guilt? Obviously, but she should be over it by now.

Does she still care for him? Maybe, but she sure has a weird way of showing it.

He can't think too hard on it now, so he finally lets himself fall asleep, thinking of different maneuvers he can use in their next meeting.

Cause at this rate, there will defiantly be a next meeting.

Comes with the lives they chosen.

* * *

**I tried to make them flirty like Batman and Catwoman, but I think I failed...**

**Did I? Tell me in a REVIEW!**


	5. Numbing

**Well... that was a long wait... sorry.**

**Anyhoo, here's the next bit.**

***Btw: This is set sometime after the New Year's mission... ****yeah... enjoy!**

* * *

Artemis draws the string of her bow back as far as it can go. She does it slowly to allow for maximum concentration, precision, and accuracy. A single ordinary green arrow is loaded and aimed at her target. She has timed her breath to match the slow, sneaking footsteps that she can hear coming down the hall towards the door that she sits - perched on the stairs - across from. While she is seated on the steps, her back is straight and her arms are firm. Her shot _will_ be perfect.

The apartment in which she is sits in belongs to a biochemical engineer and his girlfriend. They were evacuated (along with everyone else) from the apartment building two hours ago, and Artemis has been waiting here ever since.

Earlier that morning, Robin had intercepted a called from Poison Ivy to Icicle Junior asking him to assassinate this engineer for using harsh chemicals on rare plants. It was a dramatic request, but Icicle Junior took the job nonetheless. He'd promise that he'd do the job that night, so the Team subtly evacuated the building that evening.

The Team knew it couldn't have been a trap - it would have been something more elaborate. No, this was just a small job to be carried out by a Shadow. Nothing major.

After the building was cleared, the team discussed whether or not they should await Icicle's arrival;

_"He technically didn't do anything wrong," pointed out Conner. The young Super still remained somewhat fond of the young ice villain. He felt bad for using him, especially since Jr. seemed like a genuinely nice guy who had just been pulled into the life. Not too mention that Conner knew what he would have to face if he went back to prison. _

_M'gann nodded - being supportive of her boyfriend (as always), but also understanding him as she had been there to witness Jr's kindness. _

_"True," said Robin rubbing his eyes "But he did commit all those other crimes for the captives of Belle Reve and never got anything for it. Plus, he'd be breaking the law for attempted murder even if he showed up!"_

_"And it is our duty as enforcer's for the law to turn him in," added Kaldur._

_"Why don't we leave the poor guy alone on this one?" shrugged Zatanna. "He's had a hard time with the debt he had to pay. Plus, he's not much of a threat to all eight of us."_

_"Speak for yourself," Wally muttered to himself, recalling the time he and Robin were easily taken out._

_"Look, how about just _one_ of us stays back? See if he even shows." suggested Raquel._

_Kaldur began to shake his head. "I do not think that we should leave just one-"_

_"I'll do it."_

_Artemis says it quietly and quickly. If anyone hadn't been paying full attention, they would have missed it. _

_The group completely disregarded Kaldur's comment (even Kaldur did) and shot a bunch of curious looks her way._

_Artemis herself couldn't believe her outburst. She didn't understand why she would volunteer to stay behind to watch for a villain alone. She didn't think before she spoke - it came from her sub-conscience. _

_The team, knowing about her past, exchanged some worried and confused looks amongst the group. She wasn't surprised to see this - actually, she was more surprised at her outburst - but it happened, so Artemis held her ground._

_Wally joined her at her side and put a hand over her shoulder. "Babe, are you sure?" he asked quietly. _

_With still, firm eyes, she just nodded. _

_Kaldur rubbed the back of his neck. He knew better than to leave a team member alone, but he knew that Icicle Jr. was a part of her past. He could tell (even though she couldn't at the time) that this was something she needed to do. Alone. _

_"Very well. Luckily this building is near a zeta entrance. Contact us the _moment_ there is trouble. Are we clear?" said Kaldur firmly. He could already hear Batman's lecture in his head._

_Artemis gave him another stiff nod. _

_The team cleared out of the building slowly, all watching Artemis as they left over there shoulders. Wally lingered behind._

_When he spoke, it was in a whisper. "I'm waiting for you outside-"_

_"Babe, no." said Artemis calmly. "Go with the others. It will be hours before he _might_ show up." She curled him into a tight hug. "I'll be fine." They parted to share a soft, but meaningful kiss. Wally departed sullenly, and Artemis took a seat on the staircase that faced the door. _

As the footsteps grow louder, Artemis wonders why she had her outburst.

But she knows why;

Unknowingly, she had been thinking about Cameron for the past year. She was over the betrayal act, and knew that he wasn't bothered by it anymore either. But the strange thing was is that her guilt had slowly turned into hatred. She didn't know how, but as time passed every time she had face him, she slowly but surely felt that guilt dissolve and allowed herself to feel that same way about him as she did all other criminals.

She hadn't noticed it (or even been bothered by it) till a couple of weeks ago; Her and her sister were finally able to have a civil conversation, and agreed to meet up for a 'girl's night out' to catch up with each other. Jade was more of an anti-hero by now, but it pleased Artemis to know that she was slipping into the right side. They were sitting on a rooftop, watching Gotham, when they got to talking;

_"Hear you and Cam are in a bit of a pickle," said Jade _

_Artemis shot her a confused look. "What do you mean by that?"_

_Jade gave a deep chuckled "If it bothered you to fight your sister, how does it effect you to fight your old boyfriend?"_

_Artemis gave her a displeased look. "He was never my boyfriend,"_

_"C'mon, the Flash kid isn't here. You can tell me," said Jade rolling her eyes._

_"We were friends," said Artemis bluntly. "But he's one of them now, so it doesn't matter,"_

_Jade's lips formed a thin line. "So was I. Not too long ago." _

_"That's different," Artemis was quick to say. Jade shot her a disproving look, but Artemis brushed it off. "Besides why are you brining this up now?"_

_Jade smiled "Cause we haven't had a chance to talk until now," she pointed out._

That was the end of it.

Yet after that conversation, Artemis began to noticed how much her relationship with Cameron changed. They used to be like brother and sister.

Life changed them too much.

So when she saw the opportunity to meet with him alone, she took it. She needed to see him - to _speak_ with him. She didn't know why, or what she would say, she just needed closure. After spilling out her life story to the team, this was the second step she needed to take to fully move on to a new life. And her young self needed to know if their friendship was over or not. She owed it to herself.

The door knob begins to turn and Artemis sucks in one final breath sharply before silencing her breathing altogether. She can see the frost already building on her side of the door.

He was here.

Still holding her breath, Artemis closed one eye "_Ready…"_

The door started to open slowly. Artemis tilted her head closer to the bow to enter it's line of vision "_Aim…"_

The door wasn't opening fully, just enough to see the edges of tinted-blue skin about to step in the room. "_Fire…"_

As the door swings open fully, the arrow goes whizzing past Cameron's head, and lands on the door frame next to his ear.

"_Bullseye."_

When the arrow hits the door with a loud thud, the wood cracks on impact and a few small shards of it fly from the wall.

Cameron doesn't flinch. Instead, he focuses his eyes on the source of the arrow - the girl who still has her bow up and is admiring the beautiful shot.

When she sees his eyes upon her, she (without any expression, much like him) collapses her bow and places it next to her on the stairs. She leans forward with her elbows on her knees and crosses her forearms.

They don't speak - they just stare at each other with straight faces.

After what seems like forever, Cameron looks around the apartment. He doesn't need much information to know that; "He's not here, is he?"

Artemis shakes her head slowly.

Cameron sighs, drops his eyes to the ground, and nods. When he looks back up at her, she notices that only the finger he used to pick the lock is covered in ice. The rest of his body is in it's natural state. She hasn't seen it like this for a year now - she forgot how nice he looked.

He wasn't deathly attractive by any means, just nice looking.

With another sigh, he signals that they must commence the activity they were trained to do in the other's presence. "Shall we then?" he asks, icing-up the rest of his body.

Artemis blinks.

She'd be lying if she said she didn't want to get to fighting right away. Nor do she want any pre-battle banter. In all honesty, she didn't know what she wanted out of waiting for him. Closure? Yes. But how? A nice chat? Unlikely. They come from complete opposite ends of the spectrum. One final battle? No. She doesn't want either of them dead.

However, not knowing what else to do, she stands and hops off the stairs. She purposely leaves her bow behind, wanting to prolong their time together as much as possible (besides, it's within reach if she needs it).

She stalks slowly towards him - still as expressionless as he is (which is completely). When they're inches away, she remembers that she was supposed to call in the ream if he showed. But that thought escapes her quickly.

Artemis cocks her eyebrow and eyes his protective layer of ice. "I put my toy down. Only fair-"

Cameron sighs, nods, and de-ices in accords with her terms. "Fair… not something we were trained for," he notes.

Artemis feels that weight of his comment. 'We' was a term used to reference a time when they were friends, equals. Now look where they are; trained to be enemies and standing at a crossroad. She doesn't respond to him, but instead give another small nod.

After a moment of silence, they strike a fighting stance.

Artemis throws the first punch.

It lands of Cameron's left cheek causing his to eject two small droplets of spit from his mouth uncontrollably. He stumbles back a bit, giving Artemis the higher ground. She uses it to launch a strong kick in his direction.

Having fought with her before when they were younger, Cameron expects this. She prefers a good kick to a solid punch anyway.

_"It hurst less since you have shoes on!" says the much young Artemis in his mind. "Plus, it looks super cool!" _

He catches her leg in mid-air and twists her ankle. This throws her off balance and forces her to the ground on her front.

She is winded on impact, and struggles to get up.

Strangely enough, he lets her.

They both entered this fight knowing that, in all actuality, they want to extend the short amount of time they have together. The only way they can communicate with each other now is through fighting. They're sad that it had to come to this, but, being from different sides, it's what is expected of both of them.

"You've gotten better," she comments under her breath.

Cameron shrugs. It's not out of sarcasm or trying to show off, he just doesn't know what to say.

She readies, and gestures for him to initiate the fight this time.

He charges.

Fist already pre-formed, the young ice-villain sends a punch her way. She doges it, catches it, and flips him onto his back.

Again, she lets him take his time to get up and continue.

When he does, he shakes his head. "We can't keep doing this, Crock." he says. "It's either you or me this time."

Artemis is shocked by his words, but doesn't show it.

She understand him whole-heartedly though.

They've only faced each other in battle twice. Both times, they let the other live, and both times they had to come up with an excuse why. Cameron got a verbal beating, Artemis received silent judgement.

It's time now.

"This is it then?" she asks. Cameron nods. Artemis looks at her feet. "If I fall," she pulls her eyes off the floor and aims them at him "I fall to my best friend," she says looking right into his eyes.

Cameron tried to keep the corner of his mouth from turning into a smile. That has to be the nicest thing she ever said to him. "And I to mine," he practically mouths.

The deal is set with a confirming gaze.

They continue.

Cameron strikes first. He drops down to the ground and preforms a low spin kick. Artemis dodges it by jumping into a backflip. When she lands, she tackles Cameron into the staircase. Before she can think of her next move, Cameron flips her over onto her back and pins her against the stairs.

Panicking, Artemis remembers that she has her crossbow strapped to her hip. Using her foot, Artemis kicks Cam off her, sending him stumbling backward a bit. While he is gathering his bearings, Artemis rips the crossbow from its holder and jumps up. Cameron, noticing that she is now armed, ices-up his left arm.

At the same time, they aim their weapons at the other.

Cameron has his iced left arm completely extend and only inched away from her face.

Artemis has her right arm completely extend, and aiming an arrow from her crossbow right between his eyes.

They pause for a moment - both breathing deeply, both having a perfect shot at the other - taking in the current situation in short, meaningful breaths.

They stare deeply into each other's eyes. They are both questioning, and yet, challenging the other.

Which one will grow the gut to strike?

Then, ever so slowly, Cameron lowers his hand.

"I can't do it." he whispers.

Artemis eyes widen. Then, they become full of sadness. Her eyes begin to beg him to continue the fight - give her a few more minutes to be with him before she has to turn him over the the team and possibly never see him again (if he returns to Belle Reve, who knows what waits for him on the inside).

Her grip tightens around the crossbow, still hoping that he'll smack it away in a surprise attack, but he doesn't budge. Cameron just stares at her with all the power he can posses. His eyes are full of puzzlement as to why she hasn't shot him yet.

Artemis stares back, still begging for him to do something. If he doesn't soon, she'll have to act.

As she stares at him, she sees all of their time together over the years flash behind her eyes. She sees them training as kids, and now, battling as young adults. The memories they share are rooted deeper than any bond she has with anyone.

"_Artemis?_" she hears a young Cameron say in her head "_Can you promise me something? Can you promise me that we'll always have each other? Especially when things get really bad,we should have someone there to help."_

Relaxing her eyes, she slowly lowers her bow, and drops it to the ground. She never forgot that promise.

Their breathing has slowed down significantly, and they continue to stare at each other. Artemis can't even remember the list time she blinked in the past few minutes. However, this stare is relaxed, more just looking at the other.

Then, they lunge towards each other - lips mashing together ferociously, hands rubbing every inch of the other's body. Artemis pulls her mask down while Cam rips the elastic out of her hair, only to tangle his fingers in her golden mane.

Artemis hops up and wraps her legs around his waist, never once breaking contact. Cameron replies by carrying her over to a wall and pressing her body up against it. They grind their hips together as their kiss only gets deeper and deeper.

They don't know where this sudden serge of passion came from. They only know that all they want right now is each other.

Wally pops into Artemis' head for a moment. She feels like a steaming pile of crap and knows she'll hate herself forever. But this is something she needs right now - she can't shake the feeling.

They continue to kiss like that for a few minutes before eventually settling down. They have gotten themselves into a seated position on the floor; backs against the wall, legs stretched out in-front of them. Artemis is leaning against Cameron's chest and Cameron is gently stroking his fingers through her hair. Both are gazing at the opposite end of the hall.

"Well - that was … fun," says Cameron with a small laugh in his throat. Artemis grunts as a reply. They sit in silence for a moment before Cameron speaks again. "I mean - wow … where did it come from?"

"I was going to ask you," says Artemis in a monotone voice.

"Are you kidding? You're the hottest thing with two legs with a bow. I'm pretty sure I've had a crush on you since I knew what that meant" Artemis chuckles. "I just want to know where your end came from."

Artemis sighs and lifts herself off him. Still seated, she leans against the wall behind her and rubs her eyes. "I don't know."

Cameron nods.

Artemis removes her hands from her face and looks at him. "What are you going to tell Ivy?"

Cameron shrugged. "I'll think of something. What are you going to tell the team?"

Artemis thinks long and hard about that statement. Of course she wants to tell them that he never showed, but that would be lying, and she's already done enough of that.

"I'll think of something," she mumbles.

"And that Flash Kid?"

Artemis' widens her eyes. "How did-?"

"You're sister told me when she was still a shadow. From our last encounter I thought you guys hated each other. Weird how things changed, am I right?" he says, clearly referencing the even that had just happened between them.

Artemis smiles and gives him a gentle shove. The chuckle for a moment, then they both stand.

Artemis pulls her mask back over her face and re-ties her hair into a ponytail. Then, she collects her weapons and packs them all together; her bow and arrows on her back, and her crossbow at her thigh.

When she's done, they stare at each other for a moment.

Cameron is the only one brave enough to say what they're both thinking "So what now?"

Artemis can only respond with "Good question."

Silence ensues. By now, they are used to silence between them, so it's not awkward or even acknowledged.

"If we want to keep our heads," says Artemis "we can never speak of what just happened." She begins to blink away forming tears.

It's true, though. Artemis has made a new life for herself as a hero. Despite what just happened, she still loves Wally, and can't let him go. Now that the truth about her past is out, she finally feels free of it all and a part of a team that cares about her. Being romantically involved with a villain wouldn't be the best thing going for her, especially since they'd cross paths as enemies again.

Oh god, what will they do when that happens? She can't think about that right now - she'll have to deal with that when it comes…

Cameron thinks about switching sides for a moment, but lets it go just as quickly as it pops into his mind as a possibility. Artemis got out, but it's defiantly too late for him. Besides, it was different for her; her father - although training her intensively for the past few years - was never really dominate in her life. Cameron, on the other hand, was put into work (and constantly monitored) by his father since he could walk. Not too mention it was Artemis' mother who got Batman and Green Arrow's attention (something he had learned from Jade when they worked together a few years back).

It was easier for Artemis to leave. For Cameron, it would be dangerous for the both of them.

Cameron agrees by looking at his feet. "I figured," he says quietly.

Artemis blinks again, then reaches over and puts hand on his chin, gently lifting his head so they make eye contact. She doesn't say anything, only gives him a small kiss on the cheek.

They share a hug. Cameron uses the moment to take in a good whiff of her hair - even after battle it smelt good.

When they break, Artemis walks toward the main exit, while Cameron chooses to use the fire escape.

Before they both leave, he calls after her. "Will we see each other again?" asks Cameron in more of a worried tone than a hopeful one.

With her back still too him, Artemis just barely turns her head over her shoulder "I hope not."

With that, they leave the building. They don't say goodbye, cause deep down, they know it's pointless. Being on opposite sides means that they will see each other again - they can just only pray that nothing bad comes out of it.

* * *

As Cameron walks to his apartment, he replays their parting words over and over in his head.

He wishes that he told her how he feels; he's always felt more than just a friendship since they were kids. But what good would that do? He can't leave his side, and it would only ruin her if she came back.

Telling her would be pointless.

He goes to bed thinking of her beautiful scent, and hopes that it never leaves him.

* * *

When Artemis arrives at The Cave, she sees the whole team is waiting for her. All are still in uniform, and are sipping coffee quietly in the kitchen.

When they see her come in, Wally runs to her side and wraps her up in a tight hug. She hugs back with only 90% of his enthusiasm.

"Where were you?" asks Robin as he and the other's approach her.

"We were starting to think that worst!" says M'gann who gives her a hug the second Wally breaks.

"Did he show?" asks Kaldur.

Artemis thinks quick on her feet. She doesn't want to lie, but she knows she needs to. "He never showed. Sorry I didn't come back sooner, I just kept getting paranoid."

Kaldur sighs and rubs the back of his neck. Artemis knows he was hoping for a catch. "That is alright." he says patting her on the shoulder. "I am just tankful that you are safe." Artemis can hear the honesty in his voice and gives him a hug.

Kaldur then turns to address the rest of the group. "From now-on, we do not leave just one member of the team behind. I allowed for it this time when I should not have, but we must remember to stay together, if Batman -"

As Kaldur talks, Wally gives Artemis' hand a squeeze and leans in to whisper something to her. "You okay, babe?" he asks.

Artemis can't find that courage to face him. How could she after what went down between her and Cam? However, she forces and smile and responds with a nod. Wally smiles and kisses her on the check as they return to listening to Kaldur rant about how much trouble they would be in if Batman ever found out that they left Artemis alone.

When Kaldur is finished, the team all head in their separate directions to their homes. When Artemis arrives at hers, she quickly lets her mom know that she's safe, readies for bed, and barrios herself under the covers.

She thinks about her kiss with Cam - talk about closure... and not getting any. She had never seen him as more than a friend, so why was she so compelled to kiss him. Was it the heat of the moment? Was it something hidden deep inside her? Who knows, but she goes to sleep thinking about him and fretting the future.

* * *

**So I'm not sure if I want to continue on into the events of the next season. I have ideas, but I haven't fleshed them out yet. I'm going to leave this story as 'In-progress' and see if I can come up with anything.**

**Until then, REIVEW!**


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